Side effects
If you experience any of the following: For medical guidance on side effects, contact your doctor. the following are possible diltiazem side effects: Effects of Diltiazem (more information) If you experience any of the following symptoms of a diltiazem allergy: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, seek emergency medical attention. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call 1-800-FDA-1088 to contact FDA and report side effects. slow heartbeats; pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest; a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out; shortness of breath (even with mild activity), swelling, rapid weight gain; nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or severe skin reaction - fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling. swelling, fainting, drowsiness, headache, nausea, or a rash.
Interactions
For more information, consult your physician or pharmacist. Especially tell your doctor if you take: Atazanavir (Reyataz) Benzodiazepines such as Midazolam (Versed) Triazolam (Halcion) Beta blockers such as Atenolol (Tenormin) Metoprolol (Toprol XL, Lopressor) Carvedilol (Coreg) Bisoprolol (Zebeta) Betaxolol (Kerlone) Nebivolol (Bystolic) Propranolol (Inderal) Labetalol (Trandate) Nadolol (Corgard) Buspirone (Buspar) Carbamazepine (Tegretol) Cimetidine (Tagamet) Cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune) Digoxin (Lanoxin) Statins such as Lovastatin (Altoprev, Mevacor) Simvastatin (Zocor) Quinidine Rifampin Clonidine This is not a complete list of diltiazem drug interactions. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Contraindications
Inform your doctor and pharmacist about all other prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are currently taking or intend to take, and ask for a list of the ingredients from your pharmacist. Atazanavir (Reyataz), benzodiazepines such as midazolam (Versed) and triazolam (Halcion), beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin, in Tenoretic), labetalol, metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL, in Dutoprol), nadolol (Corgard, in Corzide), and propranolol (Inderal, If you have an allergy to diltiazem, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in diltiazem, let your doctor and pharmacist know before taking the medication. If you become pregnant while taking diltiazem, call your doctor right away. If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, let your doctor or dentist know that you are taking diltiazem. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a myocardial infarction (MI), a digestive system narrowing or blockage, low blood pressure, or heart, liver, or kidney disease. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
PO (Adults): 30–120 mg 3–4 times daily or 180–240 mg once daily as CD or XR capsules or LA tablets (up to 360 mg/day); Concurrent simvastatin therapy– Diltiazem dose should not exceed 240 mg/day and simvastatin dose should not exceed 10 mg/day. IV (Adults): 0.25 mg/kg; may repeat in 15 min with a dose of 0.35 mg/kg. May follow with continuous infusion at 10 mg/hr (range 5–15 mg/hr) for up to 24 hr.
Close observation is necessary in patients with reduced left ventricular function, bradycardia (risk of exacerbation) or with a 1st degree AV block or prolonged PR interval detected on the electrocardiogram (risk of exacerbation and rarely, of complete block). Cases of acute renal failure secondary to decreased renal perfusion have been reported in patients with reduced left ventricular function, severe bradycardia or severe hypotension. The use of diltiazem may induce bronchospasm, including asthma aggravation, especially in patients with preexisting bronchial hyper-reactivity. Careful monitoring is necessary in patients with latent or manifest diabetes mellitus due to a possible increase in blood glucose.
Diltiazem is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), angina (chest pain), and certain heart rhythm disorders. Diltiazem can interact with sedatives, antibiotics, antifungal medications, and HIV/AIDS medicines. Some of the overdose symptoms of this drug are light-headedness, shortness of breath, slow heartbeat, and fainting. However, some may be serious and may require the individual to inform the doctor or visit the nearest hospital immediately.
Treatment with diltiazem may be associated with mood changes, including depression (see section 4.5 and 4.8). The depression of cardiac contractility, conductivity and automaticity as well as the vascular dilatation associated with anaesthetics may be potentiated by calcium channel blockers. Therefore, it should be used with caution in patients at risk of developing an intestinal obstruction.